Interviewing the Body – Solving Back Pain

This technique was created by one of my teachers, Gary Ward, founder of Anatomy in Motion. After receiving phone calls from family and friends who were suffering from back pain, he came up with this system where he could assess them over the phone. The assessment can then be used as a treatment.

You may need additional help if you want specific individual treatment or particularly if the pain persists but this is a good place to start.

Assessment:

Before starting, rate your pain on a scale of 1-10. If any of the positions cause pain to increase beyond this point, stop immediately and move on to the next position.

There will be four positions. All will have one foot forward and one hand reaching up (it needs to be a reach, not just putting your hand up).

After each position, rate your pain. Again, you need to avoid pain. If any position causes more pain, move to the next step.

Positions:

Right foot forward and right hand up

Right foot forward and left hand up

Left foot forward and right hand up

Left foot forward and left hand up

Treatment:

The position that reduces the pain (or the one that reduces the pain the most), this position will be your starting point.

With all these movements, they need to be done slowly and controlled and should not cause pain.

So get into the position you have selected. Bending the lead knee slightly and keeping your rear knee straight, reach you selected hand up. Do this 5 times. Try this every day for two weeks. Let me how it goes.

A nice additional option is to get someone to take a picture of your spine before the treatment and then compare it to a picture of it two weeks later. You may find the spine has straightened out.